TORONTO, ON — Rally driver Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard had a tough weekend in Canada at the Rallye Baie-Des-Chaleurs, Round 3 of the Canadian Rally Championship.

The team was leading the event when they were forced to retire due to an electrical fault. But with the U.S. Round 6 coming in just two weeks, Comrie-Picard is optimistic he will defend his Rally America championship lead.

In Canada last weekend, the team opted to bring their 1997 Mitsubishi Evolution IV out of retirement for the contest rather than risk damaging their current Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX before the ESPN X Games. Comrie-Picard has been invited to compete in the early August “extreme sports Olympics” for a third consecutive year.

In capable hands, the older car is still capable of a top finish, but Comrie-Picard and co-driver Marc Goldfarb were sidelined on Day 1 when a starter wire melted.

“There is always a risk when you bring a car back after a couple of years that you’ll have a few teething problems,” said Comrie-Picard. “It’s frustrating, because we could have done well at this event.”

Even so, Team ACP Rally remains in a strong position in the Canadian championship and they are confident they can make a come-back in the final three rounds.

The vehicle already repaired, the team next heads to the United States to defend their championship lead at Round 6. Comrie-Picard currently leads Subaru Rally Team USA’s Travis Pastrana by one point and Subaru Rally Team USA’s Ken Block is another two points behind him.

“The Evo IV is in strong shape now,” said Comrie-Picard. “It’s a testament to the strength of the brand that we feel even an 11-year-old Mitsubishi can be competitive in a field that includes brand-new rally cars from other manufacturers.”

The team’s Mitsubishi Evolution IX rally will next appear at the X Games Rally on August 4. This summer's X Games 14 will be telecast live on ESPN and ABC.

The annual X Games is the premier action sports event on the globe, featuring athletes competing for medals and prize money in sports including BMX Freestyle, Moto X, Skateboard, Surfing and Rally. The rally car racing event was added to the X Games in 2006, and Comrie-Picard has been among the dozen invited drivers in each of the three years.

Rally racing is one of the most challenging motor sports and competitors are widely considered the most skillful drivers in the world. Teams race against the clock on variable terrain in modified cars that closely resemble those that the average consumer can find at their local dealer. The sport requires intense teamwork between driver and co-driver and extreme skill behind the wheel.

ABOUT THE DRIVER: Andrew Comrie-Picard is a contender for the American, Canadian, and North American rally championships. He will be one of just a handful of drivers to compete at the X Games Rally in each of the three years since it was introduced to the contest. When he isn’t racing, Comrie-Picard works as a television host and divides his time between his homes in Toronto and Indiana, Pennsylvania.

ABOUT THE CO-DRIVER: Longtime co-driver Marc Goldfarb is a regular teammate to ACP. Goldfarb began rallying in 1979 and co-drove the first Subaru actively sponsored in the national pro-rally circuit. His co-driving course curriculum is taught at the internationally renowned Team O'Neil rally school. Goldfarb resides with his family in Atkinson, NH, where he works as an engineer.

THANKS TO: Mitsubishi Canada (www.mitsubishi-motors.ca), Yokohama Canada (www.yokohama.ca), Slowboy Racing (www.slowboyracing.com), K&N (www.knfilters.com), Motul USA (www.motulusa.com), Engine Pro (www.enginepro.com), Innovate Motorsports (www.tuneyourengine.com), Öhlins USA (www.ohlinsusa.com), Pagid North America (www.pagidusa.com), Sparco (www.sparcousa.com), Piloti (www.piloti.com), and FixAuto Blainville and the Losier family.

For more information and video highlights, visit: www.acprally.com To arrange interviews or find out more, contact team manger Jen Horsey at +1 647-500-2729 or j-horsey(at)rogers(dot)com. Find us on YouTube or Facebook under ACP Rally.